By George Washington of Washington’s Blog. The battle to reform the American banking system needs to include reimposing the barrier between investment banking and depository banking (Glass-Steagall), pay incentives based on what is best for Americans and not just the top executives, the end of too big to fail, and other changes which are frequently […]
Read more...I have to admit, I have a weakness for the intersection of the daft and science: Male readers will no doubt assume that this means the original owner of the gas mask bra must strip in the case of emergency, and that that the real point of this exercise. But the bra was designed by […]
Read more...It isn’t uncommon for a theme or a trend to dominate how investors and analysts view a particular sector. For instance, when barriers to interstate banking were lowered, then dropped, bank consolidation was all anyone seemed able to think about, even though there were other important developments in the industry. During that era, at McKinsey, […]
Read more...Reader Barbara pointed out this Tom Paxton rendition, which did not get the attention it deserved during the throes of the crisis. Enjoy!
Read more...By George Washington of Washington’s Blog. The talking heads say that financial blogs aren’t trustworthy. But the whole debate about blogs versus mainstream media is nonsense. In fact, many of the world’s top PhD economics professors and financial advisors have their own blogs. For example (in no particular order): Nouriel Roubini Paul Krugman Nassim Nicholas […]
Read more...Dear patient readers, I am currently in Maine. This would normally be a good thing (the house here on the island has great water views, for instance), except I am having to work full time while supposedly on a holiday with some family members. Thus all that has happened is that I have lost productivity […]
Read more...This was too good to pass up. The key section of an offering at The Reformed Broker (hat tip reader Gonzalo): The Five Stages of Panic Buying! 1. Denial (Late March/ Early April) “Ha, another Bear Market rally…wait til the foreclosure/ new home sales/ confidence data comes in! Right back to 6500, maybe lower…bagholders” “Dude, […]
Read more...I have set you up to misinterpret that headline, but that’s OK. I know that sophisticated modern finance people are not supposed to believe in technical trading. It’s sort of like believing in astrology. Yet pretty much every serious investor I know pays attention to it, even if it is not a major factor in […]
Read more...Reader Peter A pointed out this New York Post article on Tyler Durden today. The Post has broken some hedge fund stories, like losses at particular well known hedge funds during rough trading periods, so it does have good connections in Hedgistan. I would rather not get into this fray, but Tyler Durden has guest […]
Read more...From a newly minted PhD, via e-mail: I ran into another Harvard student who recently had a chat with a senior economics faculty member who is telling students the following anecdote. Apparently the professor is involved in some way with the American Economics Review. The AER has a backlog of two to three years between […]
Read more...Submitted by Edward Harrison of Credit Writedowns. The video linked below is a must-see piece of journalistic skepticism. The duo at Bloomberg News are discussing the recent alleged theft of trading code by a former Goldman employee Sergey Aleynikov who moved to a hedge fund called Citadel Teza, a hedge fund now being sued by […]
Read more...Submitted by Edward Harrison of Credit Writedowns. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more questionable in Washington, then along comes this (hat tip Tom). Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth said today she was canceling plans for an exclusive "salon" at her home where for as much as $250,000, the Post offered lobbyists and […]
Read more...Enjoy, and thank reader Michael M:
Read more...In a bit of synchornicity, we had two posts on credit cards yesterday. Lo and behold, Versus released a new song parody on the joys of plastic:
Read more...You cannot make this stuff up. Even as of last summer, there were reports that gold at retail was priced at a hefty premium, often 20% or more, to professional prices. Greater convenience comes with a greater markup. The German gold vending machine reportedly update prices every few minutes and add a 30% upcharge. The […]
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